‘Boko Haram No Longer Holds Any Territory’, Nigeria Tells UN

The Federal Government has told the UN General Assembly in New York that the Boko Haram terrorists no longer held any territory in the country.

Nigeria’s Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Samson Itegboje, stated this while presenting Nigeria’s message at the ‘High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace’ at the UN headquarters.

Itegboje said the meeting was being convened at a time when the global community was facing unprecedented threats, geo-political tensions, social dislocation, cyber attacks, threat of climate change and terrorism.

“Nigeria has had her fair share of these crises when, amongst other vices. Boko Haram insurgents annexed 14 Local Governments in Borno in the North East of Nigeria.

“However, on assumption of office in 2015 President Muhammadu Buhari ensured the recovery of the annexed territories. Today, Boko Haram insurgents no longer hold any territory in Nigeria,” he said.

He noted that Resolutions 70/262 of the General Assembly and 2282 (2016) of the Security Council on the Review of the UN Peacebuilding Architecture addressed the UN approach to peace, focusing on prevention.

The Resolutions also call for a broader concept, which encompasses peace building, that links peace and security with development, human rights and humanitarian action.

Itegboje said: “Nigeria is of the opinion that, while ‘sustaining peace’ should not be seen as an infringement on sovereignty.

“It should also not be used as a guise for the infringement on sovereignty of member states as the centrality of national and inclusive ownership of sustaining peace cannot be over-emphasised.

“The emphasis on prevention is commendable and we recommend that the Peacebuilding Architecture should have, as a component, an Early Warning System that should be accompanied by an Early Action System”.

Itegboje said Nigeria had consistently been in the vanguard of supporting and participating in international efforts at conflict-prevention, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and sustaining peace both sub-regionally, regionally and globally.